Everton deducted 10 points for breach of EPL’s profitability and sustainability rules

LONDON – Everton have been deducted 10 points for a breach of the English Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for the season ending 2021-22, the league said on Nov 17.

An independent commission imposed an immediate deduction which will see the Toffees drop from 14th in the current standings into the relegation zone, above bottom side Burnley on goal difference.

The Premier League said it had issued a complaint against the Merseyside club and referred the case to the independent commission earlier in 2023.

“During the proceedings, the club admitted it was in breach of the PSRs for the period ending season 2021-22 but the extent of the breach remained in dispute,” the league said in a statement.

“The commission determined that Everton FC’s PSR calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of £124.5 million (S$208 million), as contended by the Premier League, which exceeded the threshold of £105 million permitted under the PSRs.”

Clubs are allowed to lose a maximum £105 million over a three-year period or face sanctions.

Everton said the sanction, the biggest in the competition’s history, was “wholly disproportionate and unjust”. They announced their intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League.

“Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process,” the club said, adding that they were “shocked and disappointed by the ruling”.

“The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings.

“Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.”

According to information provided by the BBC, only two other clubs have received a points deduction in the history of the Premier League.

Middlesbrough were deducted three points for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn Rovers during the 1996-97 season, while Portsmouth were deducted nine points in 2010 after going into administration.

Both clubs were unable to avoid relegation following those sanctions.

Manchester City have also been charged by the league for financial breaches and that case is still ongoing.

Chelsea could also face further scrutiny following reports of secret payments linked to the club’s former Russian owner Roman Abramovich. REUTERS, AFP